Urn of Blood

Although I'm relatively new to the entire modern death metal scene, I believed that there were definitely some fantastic gems embedded within the genre. This brutal and technical release by the underestimated Cemetery Urn, containing veterans from other legendary Aussie acts like Bestial Warlust, Corpse Molestation and Abominator, certainly blew me away. The heavy vocals and technical drumming were enough of an incentive to give me a stern kick in the balls. But enough waffle; let's look at the music in more depth.

Cemetery Urn seemed to have created a unique interpretation in the face of death metal; they've seemed to have sensibly ignored the entire 'heavy bass' cliche and go right for crisp precision in a normal tone. I was extremely excited (and pleased) to see that this album contains both traditional and melodic traits of death metal, as guitar solos are effectively implemented into the music, without the band coming off as too pretentious. The scales used fit perfectly in with the mood of this release, which is of course a huge bonus.

Another fantastic use of instrumentation in this release is the drumming. Throughout the whole album, it is relatively consistent and makes appropriate use of all parts of the kit. The rhythm makes appropriate changes at times and fits into the pace of the other instruments perfectly. At no point did I feel that the drums were overused.

The vocals are completely devoid of any geneticism and are very fitting in the style that Cemetery Urn play. They decided to keep in the spirit of the traditional guttural traits, which is of course an appropriate thing to do in a genre such as death metal. The vocals were timed perfectly and helped suit the ambience of the album. No complaints about them at all, really.

This release (sadly) loses points for its length. Halfway through the song The Urn of Blood, I could feel the blood rushing through my veins, building up the aggresion and tension that the album evidently portrays. Once I was at the peak of my entrancement, the music ended. What a shame. However, this was only a minor incovenience, and the rest of the album was flawless.

Perhaps the closest thing I could compare this to is As You Drown's Reflection. However, the album also contained its own spice of individuality and non-conformity, which gave it an extra kick. Overall, this is an absolutely brilliant album and I highly recommend that death metal fans alike pick up a copy. Congratulations to the band on a solid effort.